India

Scott Kraft / Los Angeles Times

Shimmering on the banks of the Yamuna River, the marble Taj Mahal is an architectural spectacle, its symmetry  four minarets and matching mosques on two sides  enhanced by its reflection on the water. Because worshipers must face east, only one of the mosques is functional; the other was duplicated for purposes of symmetry.

Shimmering on the banks of the Yamuna River, the marble Taj Mahal is an architectural spectacle, its symmetry  four minarets and matching mosques on two sides  enhanced by its reflection on the water. Because worshipers must face east, only one of the mosques is functional; the other was duplicated for purposes of symmetry. (Scott Kraft / Los Angeles Times)

Shimmering on the banks of the Yamuna River, the marble Taj Mahal is an architectural spectacle, its symmetry  four minarets and matching mosques on two sides  enhanced by its reflection on the water. Because worshipers must face east, only one of the mosques is functional; the other was duplicated for purposes of symmetry.